Current information about Imagination Theater in Placerville, CA.

Hello Kate Barba!

Q: How will the “Love Letters” theater experience be different than a “normal play?”

K: At first it seems strange. Two actors sitting next to each other, but not looking at each other, reading aloud from a script. You quickly realize however, that they are not in the same place at all. They are in their own memories and sharing with the audience the written records of their relationship. Time moves forward rapidly, feelings change, people grow and develop, and lives unfold through the window of personal correspondence. The letters draw you in and you feel you know the authors deeply, as if you were their friend and confidant. It’s powerful!

Q: Do you like your character, Melissa Gardner?

K: I do. She is witty, sarcastic, loving, and hopeful. I don’t condone everything she does, but I believe she has reasons and honestly good intentions. Unfortunately, she has the tragic flaw of attaching her happiness and self-worth to other people. While many of us do this occasionally, Melissa does it her whole life. Each time someone lets her down, she tries to find a new person to make her feel worthy of love. She is unable to love herself on her own. She tries, but her own demons always win.

About Kate

Kate is excited to share with you the journey of Melissa and the love of her life Andy, played by one of her favorite leading men, Dave Zarka. Kate has been a member of the Imagination Theater! family since 2005, and is very grateful for the opportunities and friendships she has gained as a result. Favorite roles include Meg in “Little Women,” Rose in “The Secret Garden,” and Mary in “Mary Poppins.” Notable pre-IT! roles include Abby in “Arsenic and Old Lace” and Marina in Shakespeare’s “Pericles, Prince of Tyre.”

Her most rewarding (and challenging) role, however, is Mom to her 7 year old twins, Drew and Gwyn. Kate’s day jobs include Mom, Household Manager, and Manager of Festivals and Events at Cedar Springs Waldorf School. Together with her husband Pete, her family loves to ski, sail, and hike Northern California and beyond. She and Pete also love to travel the world and are always dreaming and planning their next adventure. Kate would like to thank her family and friends for their support of her theater habit!